East Side Access New York

New York, USA

TBM rock + Conventional

Construction method

7,315 m and 914 m of caverns

Excavated length

6.0m/6.7m

Internal Diameter / Excavation

2 TBM

TBM number

The East Side Access (ESA) project is one of the most significant railway developments undertaken by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York. Its execution has enabled Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) services to gain direct access to Grand Central Terminal, in the heart of Manhattan.

Within the programme, DRAGADOS delivered two major contracts.

The first contract included the excavation of four two-level railway tunnels, with a total length of 7,315 metres, running from 63rd Street in Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal. The tunnels were excavated using two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) with a diameter of 6.7 m, marking the first railway tunnelling project executed with TBMs in New York in over 30 years.

The second contract involved the excavation and lining of two large underground caverns, measuring 18 m x 18 m and 457 m in length, located beneath the existing Grand Central Terminal. This scope also included the construction of 9 cross passages, 8 connecting tunnels, 5 access tunnels, 4 access ramps, and 5 vertical shafts

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To enable the construction of the access ramps, it was necessary to relocate part of the foundations of the MetLife Building, transferring structural loads accordingly. In addition, the foundations of the Hemsley Building had to be reinforced and protected for the same purpose.

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The project has received several international awards, recognizing it as an exceptional achievement delivered in a highly complex urban environment, under extremely demanding geological and logistical conditions.

Project data

7,315 m of TBM-driven railway tunnel

2 railway caverns measuring 18 × 18 × 457 m

9 connection galleries

8 link tunnels

5 access tunnels

5 vertical shafts

650,000 m³ excavation volume

150,000 m³ of tunnel lining concrete

Completed in 2012

Excavation diameter: 6.7 m

First TBM railway project in New York in over 30 years

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